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KERNOW/CORNWALL: TAMAR SUBMARINE POLLUTION INCIDENT - MOD RESPOND

The Ministry of Defence have responded to concerns expressed by the Celtic League following an incident in which hundreds of gallons of toxic coolant was leaked from a nuclear submarine

Par Cathal Ó Luain pour Celtic League le 13/01/09 23:23

The Ministry of Defence have responded to concerns expressed by the Celtic League following an incident in which hundreds of gallons of toxic coolant was leaked from a nuclear submarine into the River Tamar. The League had asked Royal Navy Cincfleet why information about the accident had been withheld.

In their reply the Ministry of Defence say that 'communications could have been more effective' however they say no disciplinary action is planned.

A further substantive response on earlier pollution incidents is promised.

The Celtic League welcome the detailed response from the MOD (see below).

"Thank you for your letter of 11 November about the pollution incident involving HMS Trafalgar. Your letter has been passed to the Defence Equipment and Support area of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and I have been asked to respond.

It may help if I firstly outline the incident. During a routine transfer of primary coolant from HMS TRAFALGAR to an effluent tank at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport, a leak from a ruptured hose resulted in up to 280 litres of coolant being discharged into the river Tamar. The area was quarantined and initial sampling did not detect any contamination in the local area; subsequent sampling determined that the environmental risk was negligible. Even with this low level of risk, the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator were notified of the incident in their capacity as regulators.

I can assure you that there is indeed a formal process to follow in the event of serious safety incidents. The MOD, including the Royal Navy, is aware that it has a duty of care towards the local population, and the safety of workers at the base and the local population remains paramount at all times. A comprehensive safety management system is in place to ensure that safety risks are managed effectively, and we work closely with regulators and the local authority on safety matters.

We acknowledge however that there were certain areas where our communications could have been more effective. This seems to have stemmed from the perception and definition of serious incident. As this particular incident was confirmed, within hours, not to have resulted in any contamination and to have negligible environmental impact, it was not considered to be a major one and was therefore reported to a limited audience only. Following an investigation it has since been accepted that we can improve how we communicate any minor incidents that occur. Actions are being taken to ensure that communications are more effective in the future and form part of the overall lessons learnt from this event.

In answer to your question regarding any disciplinary action there are no plans for any action to be taken as a result of this incident.

You may like to know that the Devonport Local Liaison Committee was briefed by the Naval Base Commander on this issue on 9 December 2008. The Local Liaison Committee meets regularly and is open to members of the public and the press. As a way of providing open and honest and honest debate this is an opportunity for concerns to be voiced on any issue relating to the Naval Base. For details ot this Committee and when and where the next meeting is scheduled to take place, please refer to www.devonport.co.uk/local-liason-committee

Your question asking if there been any other undisclosed leakage of fuel oil or coolant from Royal Navy submarines in recent years has been considered to be a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This work involves consultation with a number of other parties and consequently may take time to complete. I will write to you again by no later than the 16 January 2009 with either a substantive response or a further update on your request.

If you are unhappy with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review by contacting the Director of Information Exploitation, 6th Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (email lnfo-XD@mod,uk).

Please note that any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has come to an end.

If you remain unhappy following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate the case until the internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website, (voir le site)

I hope this provides some reassurance.

Yours sincerely,

Gina Shikrakar DE&S Policy Secretariat Submarines"

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